


In Bloom

by evanesce96 (goodmorningvietnam666)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, And That's Why We Love Him, Armin is a Little Shit, Basically Levi through everyone else's eyes, Comfort, Eren is Awesome, Erwin's Eyebrows, Ex-Soldier!Erwin, Falling In Love, Flirting, Floriography, He owns a Tibetan Mastiff, He's a cannon ball of anxiety, His words, Jean is just himself, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) Has Issues, Levi is Eccentric, Levi's Actually Nice, Levi's a huge nerd, M/M, Mikasa Ackerman & Levi Are Related, Nightmares, Sharing a Bed, Still swears though, Texting, and demanding jfc, flower shop, mikasa is protective, perspective changes, writer!levi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-10-15 21:04:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10557694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodmorningvietnam666/pseuds/evanesce96
Summary: Erwin's been living a quiet live ever since he was honorably discharged from the army, raising his son, and caring for his small flower shop.That life is changed by the arrival of a man with beautiful features, dark hair and piercing eyes. Someone who he doesn't know anything about, but falls for regardless.Reels, when that person is famous author, Levi Ackerman





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a test chapter, because I'm still not sure about writing this out as a full work. I want to see what sort of reception I'll get for it before I commit to it properly. Either way, enjoy this AU that I needed after the first episode of season 2, knowing what is coming for all of the characters of AOT.

The bell over the door rings, and Erwin glances up to the sound, searches the small shop until he finds the customer. He’s dressed in a long coat, a scarf wrapped once around his neck, one hand in the pocket of dark jeans, the sleeves of a grey sweater peeking out from the coat’s arms. He has dark hair, cut short and neat, the undercut providing a little roughness, a unique twist to what may have been a simple hairstyle. His pale skin shines in the morning light, sharp cheekbones highlighted by the shadows the sun casts, the dark circles beneath his sharp quicksilver eyes allude to a weary body. His body itself seems nothing special in thanks to the layers he wore: broad shoulders, a sharp curve of hips and a strong set of legs that looked powerful enough to kick people across fields without effort.

Erwin takes this in with a long glance, and returns to the flower arrangement he’s been altering all morning: the customer is particularly picky, and this is the fifth time she’s asked for a change. 

“Good morning” the customer greets, and the corner of his mouth lifts to a half smile that Erwin returns. 

“Did you need a hand at all? We’re offering custom made bouquets for Valentine’s Day” 

He huffs a laugh, “I don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day: I’m here for both gracious and selfish reasons.”

The way he speaks is rough, but the words flow off of his tongue, have eloquence that comes from higher education or standing, and Erwin can’t help but be intrigued as the customer begins selecting and gathering the flowers currently for sale. “Gracious and selfish?”

“My daughter’s boyfriend received a scholarship from Sina University: I’m sending these to the tutor that got him there” his sharp gaze flicks to Erwin, and there’s a clear smile there, “Also, your flower shop is quiet, and I need some time to gather my thoughts”

“Ah, so, you’re using me” Erwin says this jokingly, and it earns him a soft laugh, “Your daughter’s boyfriend?”

The customer approaches the desk with a self-put together arrangement, and it’s very well done. It’s rough, but sincere, much like the personality of the person who made it. “He’s practically family: his half brother was a piece of shit, and I opened my home to him late last year.”

Erwin nods, and then gestures to the flowers as he rings up a price “You’re fairly good at this: are you a fan of flowers, or do you just have a good eye? Also, would you like these delivered to an address?”

“I’ve had a fascination with carnations since I was young, So, maybe I’m a fan of certain flowers, if not all” the customer shrugs, and then frees a wallet from his jeans, “I’m planning on making the kid do it, so the answer’s no, thank you” he pulls out a credit card, and Erwin spots the name Levi E. Ackerman before he taps the card to the reader, and it vanishes into his wallet again. 

“Then I suppose that’s you all set” Erwin says with a smile, almost sad to see the customer go: the first in a long while to be pleasant and gentle, as this man seems. 

“I suppose so” Levi replies, eyes snapping down to his nametag, and back up to his gaze “You have a good day, Erwin”

And like a gust of wind, Levi is gone from the shop. He turns right, and in a few long strides he has disappeared from sight. Erwin utters the word ‘damn’ and wishes he’d been able to find out more before his oddity of a customer had left. 

He spots Levi passing the shop roughly fifteen minutes later: a satchel strapped firmly to his chest that hadn’t been there before. Erwin guesses that he’s some sort of high flying business man, or maybe a communications worker, maybe a lawyer: he’s not sure, but given Levi’s educated way of speaking, he’d wager the job must be fairly high up in social class. 

Though there was a hint of roughness beneath those words, as though they weren’t all his: he’d felt most genuine when he’d cursed, and Erwin has to wonder if the dignified talk is all for show. 

It’s roughly an hour before the bell rings again, and it’s only his son, Armin, who smiles at him, and ducks behind the counter, stands beside him. He’s grown out his hair this last year: Erwin’s still not sure if he prefers it this way or if he should have cut it all short, and puberty has helped to fill in his face. 

Armin is the product of a marriage gone wrong back in college: Erwin had thought that he’d found ‘the one’, but had been proven wrong once Armin had been born and she had died in childbirth. Her father helped as best he could, and in Erwin’s opinion his son had turned out just fine. 

“Are you headed out?” he asks, because the only reason Armin would come into the shop without the intention to work is so he can get away from it. 

“Jean wants to take a tour through the museum, and then a walk through the botanical gardens” his son relays, and there’s a grimace that follows that sentence “Marco may or may not be coming”

When Armin had started dating Jean Kirstein, Erwin had learnt two things about his son: the first was that they shared a possessive and jealous nature, and the second was that Armin had a fiercely protective friend named Eren Yeager, who was prepared to kill should Jean hurt Armin in any way. 

It sets Erwin’s mind at ease to know there’s more than one person out there who feels that way about Armin. “Have fun regardless, alright? You know the rules” he follows Armin’s movement to around the counter, returns the bright smile his son gives him. 

“Be home for dinner, no sex in public spaces, and no crime” Armin mimics, going so far as to use a stony expression, and placing agrimonies over his eyebrows. 

“Get out of here” Erwin says with a shooing motion, unable to be offended at the sound of his son’s laughter before he leaves the shop. 

At least his day hasn’t been boring.

//

The television rattles on behind him: an interview for an author plays quietly as Erwin cooks, checks his watch and wonders if Armin will just make his deadline. It’s as he sets dinner to boil that the interview catches his attention, because even though it’s electronic and tinny, he recognises the voice that is answering the questions. 

Behind a small army of microphones, dressed in a dark suit and, oddly, a cravat, his hair smoothed back and his quicksilver eyes sparkling, sits Levi. Erwin is briefly floored: he’d guessed wrong, it seems, and he misses the question as he leans against the island counter to listen. 

_“Well, it’s such a prevalent issue at the moment, isn’t it? I have met, and know personally, people who are homosexual, bisexual, pansexual and transgender. They talk often about roadblocks, about things keeping their true selves hidden, about the walls that come up on the path to admitting to their perceived societal flaws. They speak about feeling alone, about feeling like the minority: I myself struggled to accept that I was homosexual for a time, because of how cut off from the world I had felt. Having a male protagonist struggle with the same issue seemed a good path to take the romantic subplot on, especially considering the nature of his female co-worker.”_

“Dad, I’m home, and I brought Jean” he hears the call, and waves his hand to quiet the pair as the next question arrives. 

_“People have claimed that the choice of a female co-lead was misleading for the readers, what is your response to that?”_

_“The key characteristic of a good novel is the reveal of pivotal character flaws: when Colt discovers his attraction to men, the readers learn this information at the same time. The simple answer is that it brings more shock value, and personally, I believe those people were a little uneasy with reading what was suddenly a homosexual romance.”_

“I love whenever he talks about writing” Armin comments, and Erwin looks to him with a raised brow. 

“You know him?”

His son nods, and Jean mirrors the action “I own all of his books, including this one… Levi Ackerman is a well-known name with people my age group: he has a blog and actually speaks to his readers, and he’s connected to every social media channel possible.”

“He takes way too many photos of his dog” Jean adds, and Armin chuckles “But Armin’s right: he’s grown in popularity lately.”

_“Why now, Mr Ackerman?”_

_“I prefer Levi, if you don’t mind: Mr Ackerman makes it seem like I’m on trial”_

_“Levi, why write this novel at this point in your career?”_

_“Without seeming as though I’m self-advertising, I have written smaller novellas with a similar subject matter”_

“They’re little slice-of-life books, and they tackle relatable issues without over dramatizing them” Armin chips in, and Jean slides a look over to Erwin that reads ‘he’s obsessed’. 

_“I chose now because my works are particularly popular among both teens and adults, so I knew the book would reach a wide, variant audience. Those looking to read about homosexual romances often have to travel to the darkest depths of the internet, spend hours in bookstores only to find dime-store novels, or turn to fanfiction. The latter I’ll give due credit: most times out of ten the pieces depict normal romances without the hassle of original characters. The point of publishing this novel now was to effectively convey what a healthy homosexual relationship looks like, as it simply hasn’t been done enough in fiction, enough so that finding such a book is like finding diamonds. Enough that the younger generation is left wondering exactly what is healthy, both in homo and heterosexual relationships”_

“He’s brave” Erwin comments as he returns to making dinner and turns the volume down “Speaking so openly about all of this”

“He’s inspiring” Armin replies as he and Jean sit at the island counter, “And he doesn’t care what the media thinks of him: only writes for the love of it, and to see others changed by his work in some way”

“He writes good books” Jean says softly as Erwin dishes out dinner “And he’s a good person: very humble and down to earth”

“I’d like to read one” Erwin says, turns his gaze to Armin, who looks like Christmas came early. At least he’ll have something to talk with Levi about, if they ever meet again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the amazingly positive reaction I received, I decided that I definitely should keep writing this AU. I'll probably delete the chapter because I don't like it, mainly due to the pressure of performing, and the knowledge of the standard I want to work to. 
> 
> Hopefully, the rest of the story meets everyone's expectations. Reviews are welcome, especially here because this chapter just doesn't seem to flow, and seems rushed... I'm probably being pedantic haha.

_‘The rain is heavy, laden with the weight of the storm, and within the darkened warehouse is no better. Weighty droplets of water shatter on the metal roof, create a ruckus that belongs in a warzone. Thunder rumbles, builds, gives way to a flash of lightning that carves its way through the cloud infested sky. It throws light carelessly into the room, white glancing off the black Glock he’d taken from the officer. Water drips from his hair, down the back of his neck, falls from his cold, soaked hands and trickles beneath the sleeves of his suit._

_His grip on the pistol tightens as he steps forward, his shoes clicking against the slate, the smell of wet clothes, damp hair, thick in the air._

_“Detective,” he turns the muzzle of the gun to the voice, narrows his gaze to see through the blanket of darkness. Traitorous black that shields the person of his pursuit from view._

_He can make out the silhouette of a long coat, a flash of lightning gives him the glint of brown eyes, a shock of blonde hair. “We’re done,” he grates, “It’s over.”_

_The chuckle seems familiar, “Never one for talking, were you Arishone?” he blinks in surprise, but keeps his pistol trained, despite the shake in his arms from the cold, from exhaustion._

_Colt hears the sound of a pistol cocking, fires his own from instinct mere seconds after the other shooter. A bullet glances off his left arm, and he manages a garbled yell, the shoots of red hot pain crawl up his arm hard and fast, and his right hand flies to the area. In the silence, he hears something solid drop, metal clatter, and another flash of lightning guides him to the felled figure._

_He turns it over with a foot, steps back with a small noise of surprise, pain in his arm forgotten, “Hawkin?”’_

Erwin blinks, reads the line again as he hands his credit card to Armin, “No…” he murmurs slightly, reads on as his son pays for the groceries, and he feels Jean lean to read over his shoulder. 

“Armin,” Jean calls softly, accepts the bags handed to him as Erwin follows behind, stuck in the book. 

His son looks back, and smiles in sympathy, “Hawkin?” he asks shortly, and Erwin nods, “I warned you.”

“But he’s like a father figure!” Erwin protests, marks the book and takes the bags Jean is carrying in his bandaged left hand: an injury from last night’s ice hockey game. “Why would he do it?”

“Keep reading dad,” Armin urges, and his eyes light up with a smile as he spots something in the distance, “Eren!” he waves, frantic, and Erwin spots the brunette between the crowd.

Jean chuckles, pats Erwin on the arm, “You almost made it out of here, Erwin.”

“At least these aren’t heavy,” he notes softly, in mock disappointment: he’s met Eren all of three times during Armin and his friendship, and Erwin will be honest when he says he wishes it wasn’t the case. 

Eren returns the wave, looks back behind him and plucks at the sleeve of a figure Erwin recognises. He’s not in a long coat, or hidden in thousands of layers, but dressed down in a white button up and a blazer he’s rolled up to his elbows, with skinny jeans and freshly polished boots. 

Levi smiles brightly when their eyes meet, and Erwin meets that smile with a shy one of his own: Armin looks about to implode as he’s introduced to his favourite author. Jean just laughs beside him, shares a smile with Eren: clearly the two have known about Levi for some time, but have kept it from Armin for whatever reason. 

Given how long it takes Levi to get to him, he thinks it was a good idea, before he walks over, he tugs at the beanie on Eren’s head. 

“Go and help your girlfriend pick an outfit,” he says softly, “She’ll be there for hours if someone doesn’t”

“Argh, Levi please she asks the most awkward questions!” Eren whines, but the acceptance is in his gaze. 

Levi smiles, and there’s this fatherly look in his gaze: Eren’s practically his son already, Erwin thinks. “Be honest with her: she’s just nervous because it’s an anniversary. Otherwise, you’ll never see the restaurant.”

The brunette nods, defeated, and leaves when Levi shoves at him, makes a shooing motion with both hands. Smiles at Erwin, and approaches, “Hello again, Erwin.”

“You remembered my name?” he asks as behind Levi; Armin mouths the word ‘Again?!’

“I’m good with names: you work at a flower shop, and you’re the second tallest person I know.” Levi smiles softly, and they shake hands. 

Erwin nods, smiles, and then makes a small noise in the back of his throat, “You and I need to talk about how terrible you are.” He says suddenly, watches Levi’s brow furrow in confusion, a hand slip into the pocket of his jacket. 

“Oh?” he asks, tilts his head in a way Erwin finds beyond endearing, “What have I done that’s so terrible?” he asks, and a grin creeps onto his features, “I didn’t give you a ridiculous amount of business, did I?”

“No, no.” he assures with a laugh, “I’d be thanking you if you did… you’re terrible to your protagonist.”

Levi purses his lips, but the smile is still there in the corner of his mouth, “Colt?” he asks, and when Erwin nods, he replies with one of his own, “Ah, yeah… book five?”

He nods, pulls the book free with his right hand, gives it to Levi when he asks for it wordlessly. “Book five.”

The way he treats the novel remind Erwin of how a father might treat their child’s first painting: the tenderness of knowing its value is there, but behind that affection is a critical eye. His long fingers splay over the page, eyes flick from line to line as though he’s both reading and not reading the work. 

He laughs softly, pulls free a thin tipped pen and flicks the book back to the front, scrawls something over the page and flicks out his signature, hands it back to Erwin. It reads ‘Sorry about Hawkin, Levi ;).’

He chuckles, pockets the book, “That does not let you off the hook.”

Levi smirks, “Character development, Erwin: keep reading and I promise it will make sense.” The smile doesn’t die, and Levi has this uncanny ability to look people in the eye without shying from someone’s gaze after a long moment. “I actually remember writing that chapter.”

Erwin smirks, “Was it hard?”

“No, it was four in the morning, I hadn’t slept in a week, and I was living off coffee and slices of apple.” Levi grins when Erwin laughs, rubs at the dark circles that he thinks are more pronounced under his eyes. 

“Do you actually sleep?” he asks, bewildered. 

“No,” and the voice is feminine, a young woman who looks startlingly like Levi appears at his side, a few shopping bags in one hand, Eren in tow. “He doesn’t take care of himself.”

“I don’t get hungry,” the fatherly look is back, and Erwin’s heart definitely skips a beat, “And sleep is either for the week, or for the weak, Mika.”

She rolls her eyes, and Eren makes an effort to stifle a laugh, “Here, give me the keys to the car: I’ll get these packed away while you talk to your new boyfriend.”

“I had an old one?” Levi asks, hands over his keys, with keychains of Star Wars figures on them, and ducks beneath the swipe at his head. He turns back to Erwin, “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Erwin grins, “I’d be sad to hear if you did.”

A spark of shock runs through Levi’s gaze, and he laughs, “Oh, no: you don’t want to be anywhere near me… unless you like cannonballs of anxiety.”

He’s trying to turn Erwin away: he can see that very clearly. He wonders for a moment why that is, but trades that for the determination to keep hold of Levi. “I don’t mind, actually: Armin dealt with that through high-school.” 

Levi shifts, laughs shortly, “I’m working on a novel: every day of my life is focused on it… I’ll ignore you.”

“I like time alone, and you’ll need a break at some point.”

“I have a dog that’s bigger than I am.”

“I’m a dog person: have a Dachshund back home named Kransky.”

Levi laughs, “Your… your sausage dog is named after a German sausage?”

“And your dog’s name is…” Erwin will defend that name choice with his life, is determined to keep that smile glued on those sharp features. 

“Bjorn” he replies, “He’s a Tibetan Mastiff, and he’s my life partner.”

“I like a challenge.”

“I’m a vampire”

“I’m very fit, I’m sure my blood is full of nutrients”

“I like the Percy Jackson movies better than the books.”

“You can’t date him!” Jean calls out from where he and Armin are standing, clearly amused with Erwin and his attempts to flirt. “Not if that’s true.”

“Is it?” he asks, unsure of exactly what the problem is, and Levi shakes his head. 

“Not a bit.”

“Let me test your theory, Levi.” Erwin says, fiddles with his phone and hands it to the dark-haired man with an open contact, “You’ll be home alone tonight, so let me take you out. See if you can drive me away.”

Levi raises a brow, seems to smile reluctantly as he enters his number and hands his phone back, “Right,” he doesn’t seem convinced, wary to accept, “Pick me up at exactly 7:03, be wearing a shirt with at least one obscure reference, and pick a restaurant I haven’t been to” It’s a joke, he sees it in those quicksilver eyes, in the way the metal dances with humour. “I have to go.”

“See you tonight” he farewells, and leads the way to his own car, in the opposite direction of Levi, pulls his phone and sends out a text. 

_‘Was that really so hard?’_

_‘Impossible – I’m going home to stress, and it’s all your fault. :|’_

Erwin laughs softly, puts his phone away, and wonders if he can convince Levi that he is worth the author’s time.


	3. Chapter 3

Erwin runs a wet comb through his hair, taps the styling tool to the sink, and turns his head to a sound of clattering in the kitchen, a quiet, “Fuck me.”

“Armin.” He calls, furrows his brow and steps out of his room, adjusts the cuffs of his shirt as he emerges, “Language.” He looks down to Kransky, who has trotted over, barks softly for attention, and picks the dog up, walks into the lounge and looks to Jean with a raised brow. 

“I’m not allowed in there: he’s cooking.” Erwin sighs, and Jean shrugs, smiles gently, “I’m game to let him try to be romantic if you are.”

“I’m just concerned about coming home to a burning building.”

“Maybe you won’t come home at all.”

“Jean!” Armin appears in the kitchen door way, a neat, circular red bruise on his bared shoulder, “My dad is not like that!” His brow furrows, and he looks to Erwin, “Are you?”  
Erwin smirks, “Maybe back before I had you, but you’re right, I’m not like that.”

“But he was,” Jean smirks, folds his arms, “And he’s back on the prowl, maybe he’ll want to be like that.”

“Alright, Jean, I’m not a cougar I’m only thirty…. Eight, oh fuck I am a cougar.” Erwin refrains from running a hand through his hair, “What if Levi’s only twenty something?!”  
Jean laughs, Armin smirks and only supplies the word, “Language” in support. 

He returns to his room, finishes dressing, and looks to Armin, who hovers in the doorway, “Dad, pretty sure cougars are over sixty, and just a guess… but I don’t think Levi could be twenty, and have adopted Mikasa when she was nine.”

He breathes a sigh, lays a firm hand on his son’s shoulder, “Thank you, Armin… please don’t burn down the house.”

Armin smiles, nods, “I’ll be careful, now,” he holds out his hand, “You can’t take the dog with you, release the safety blanket.”

Erwin shakes his head, but passes over Kransky, who looks between them, confused, but happily settles into Armin’s arms. He’d bought the dog after the war, had been told it would help with the nerves, nightmares, and overall trauma he’d been through. “I could try to take the dog with me,” he argues, but smiles, brushes away imaginary dust from the shoulder of his jacket, “I look okay?”

“Just fine: go, before you’re late.” His son hugs him as he leaves, Jean waves, gives a thumbs up, and Erwin just rolls his eyes, starts the car and heads for Levi’s home. 

//

He arrives, parks the car and leaves the vehicle to the sound of a dog barking, the sound is deep, seems to vibrate through the air. Erwin had searched up Tibetan Mastiffs, had nearly reconsidered ever going near Levi again, because the dogs grew to be monsters. 

Erwin breathes in, steadies himself, and hovers a hand to knock on the door. 

“Wait!” he jerks his head up, hears a scuffling on the roof, and from the edge of it appears Levi, who gently lowers himself to the ground, “Just don’t: you’ll make it worse.” 

He’s dressed in a navy suit, and it hugs his lithe frame, gives way to an image of curves, a body not hidden by baggy clothing or layers. Erwin doubts he’d care if Levi had worn a bedsheet, because he seems to pull off everything. 

“You clean up nice,” the shorter male notes, offers a small smile, “Shall we? Before my dog breaks down the door?”

Erwin nods with a smile of his own, “Thank you, and yes, we should go.” He opens the passenger door for his date, “Our reservation is for exactly 7:03.”

Levi barks out a laugh as Erwin closes the door, and he feels a thrill at being the one who had created that reaction. “The fact that there’s a restaurant out there that allows that sort of booking is funny enough, but the fact that you made the reservation… I’ve got no idea what I’m in for, do I?”

Erwin pulls out of the driveway with a smirk, “I don’t know about that.” He replies, almost jerks in surprise when Levi pulls at his shirt sleeve so that he can see the cuff fully.

“I’m sorry… are these Hellsing cufflinks?” That small smile turns to a smirk when he nods, and Levi makes a sound that’s halfway between a cackle and a snort, “Two of three.” He notes softly. 

Erwin chuckles, “I aim to please.”

//

He takes Levi out of town, into the rural areas of their state: an hour’s drive, but they make good conversation, and when they fall silent it’s not uncomfortable. Levi fidgets, crosses his legs, uncrosses them, toys with the cuffs of his suit, but never complains about the distance. 

Alone, he’s quieter, tempered somehow by the lack of eyes on him; Erwin isn’t surprised, in fact he’d guessed as much when they’d first met: that Levi was presenting someone confident, friendly, desirable, for whatever reason. He hopes it doesn’t mean he won’t like the real version of the shorter male. 

Finally, they arrive at the restaurant, and it’s a quaint, out of the way place he only knew about because a friend of his worked there. It’s rustic, made of old wood and exposed brick work, with wrought iron door handles, brackets, and furniture legs. 

He looks to his date, and Levi smiles, nods, mouths something that seems like the word ‘three’ and looks up to him, “Alright, I concede: you’ve beaten me.”

“How so?” he asks as they’re seated, and Levi shakes his head, that smile still in place. 

“You asked me out, made me give out my number, and met my shitty demands in the span of two days… no one else has done that.” The smile fades as a waiter appears, and they both order, Levi is slower, because he’s new to the menu, but the conversation doesn’t stay dead long.

It happens again: Levi curses and the perfect sheen rubs off, just slightly, not long enough to see anything beneath, but enough to know it’s there. “So, a flower shop, hm? Meeting you outside of your workplace, I’d never have guessed.”

“What would you have thought?” he asks, curious suddenly at how he appears, and Levi brings a hand up to his chin, leans back in his seat and examines him. It’s like being beneath a microscope, that gaze is piercing when it has focus. 

“A lawyer,” Levi finally decides, sits forward again and scratches at his ear, pushes a strand of hair behind it, “Or… hm, if I’d met you with Armin, maybe a teacher? It’s hard to tell: you have a presence about you that says ‘leader’ but… well that could be any career.”

“You have a real knack for understanding people,” he notes, clasps both of his hands together and rests them on the table, folds his legs at the ankle beneath it.  
Levi nods, “It’s a good way of making fast friends: remember how they think, what they feel, and they think they’re important to you… it’s not hard: watch them, learn to shut your mouth and listen… I suppose it’s got to do with how you think, too.” He looks to Erwin, looks momentarily discouraged, and scoffs, “Ah, I’m probably boring you.”

“You’re not,” he assures, “I wouldn’t have asked.”

Levi laughs, “You definitely wouldn’t have if you’d known me: I talk more than most expect.”

“I’ll admit you come off as more of an introvert.” He glances up when both their drinks and food arrives, thanks the waiter with a smile, “So it’s a surprise, yes… but not a bad thing.” Levi has a nice voice, smooth, yet there’s a deeper, hidden volume to it. He enjoys listening to it. 

“Oh,” Levi blinks in surprise, stirs his whiskey by circling his wrist in smooth, uninterrupted circles. Doesn’t shift his gaze from Erwin’s, “Thank you, then… Ah, and I am an introvert: crowds exhaust me, one on one, though? I’m fine with it.” He sighs softly, drinks from the glass, “Maybe it’s the fact that the crowds I find myself in are so… critical? Maybe I need people who aren’t looking to fuck with my work.”

“You’re not too good at accepting compliments for your work, though.” Erwin notes, and those sharp eyes flick back to him, “Just an observation.”

“True,” his companion finally says, “I just get caught off guard… personally, I think most of my writing’s shit.” When Erwin laughs, a smile kicks up at the corner of Levi’s mouth, “My editing strategy is usually ‘stare at it until I hate it’ so, maybe that’s why.”

“I think it’s unique,” he supplies with a smile, “Rough, experienced, and somehow still easy to read. No wonder your audience is so varied.”

“Shit Erwin, and you really think that?” Levi seems disinclined to accept Erwin’s praise. He nods, and Levi blinks in surprise, “Tch, alright then…thank you.”

“Why are you so surprised?” he asks, watches Levi drain his glass of whiskey, and takes to his own with renewed vigour, “People must tell you that.”

“Of course,” Levi answers, seems to take a moment to think, “I just... well you seem very no-nonsense, so I suppose you threw me off. You’ve read everything?” he seems equal parts nervous and grateful for Erwin’s interest, and he can’t make heads or tails of what the shorter male is trying to figure out. 

He nods, “The serial is my favourite: Colt makes a compelling narrator, relatable, too.” He supplies, and Levi nods along to the praise. 

“How far have you read? Since the other day?”

“Nowhere, I’m still…”

“Upset? Everyone was, about Hawkin, but like I said: keep reading, you’ll feel a lot better.”

“I just feel terrible for Colt, without Hawkin, the only person he actually talks to is Isaac, and they’re not really that close.”

Levi smirks, and Erwin has no clue why, sits forward and picks at his plate, eats in intervals. Swallows, leans back in his chair, “So, Armin? He’s your son, which means your wife?” 

It’s an innocent question, and Erwin knows it, doesn’t mean he expects there to be some ulterior motive for a split second, “She died in childbirth, unfortunately.”

He decides very quickly that the dash of sadness that crosses Levi’s gaze is something he never wants to cause again, “Oh, I’m sorry…”

“It’s alright,” he manages to get it in before his companion can continue, “I managed.”

“Clearly: Eren tells me he’s all A’s.” Levi replies with a smile, “I’ll assume you were the same?”

“Yes: I was very studious: one friend, no outings, all study.” He smiles, “My father was torn between praise and pushing me to socialise.” Erwin shifts in place and uncrosses his legs, leans against his own chair and stretches them out beneath the table. His foot knocks something, and Levi jolts in surprise, looks under the table.

Laughs softly, “Your legs go forever.” He notes, swallows and Erwin wonders why he looks so uneasy, “Are your family trees?”

Erwin laughs in reply, “No, actually, I’m the tallest of three generations.” When Levi’s mouth falls open in surprise, he laughs all the harder, “What about you?”

His companion sobers, smirks, “Actually, I’m the shortest: family of 6-foot-tall Germans. My father was Japanese and shorter than my mother, apparently… his genes must have won out, for whatever reason.” Levi frowns for a moment, but returns to smiling almost immediately. “So, why my books?”

“I watched your interview four weeks ago, and I got curious.” He smiles, “You’re very brave, you know. Openly gay, and advocating homosexual romance.”

“Tch, you-” Levi switches from aggressive to calm almost immediately, clearly he’s received a lot of backlash in the past few weeks, “Thank you.”

“You didn’t expect that?” he asks, and Levi nods slowly, “you haven’t been well received in the media, have you?”

Levi shifts, folds his arms, flicks his gaze down at the table, Erwin lets the silence linger. 

“No, not really,” Levi answers finally, once Erwin’s almost cleared his plate, “But I expected that. It’s frustrating sometimes, you know? To think that one thing stops people from reading…”

“Their loss,” he assures, and Levi smiles at him, the light there in his eyes, and it’s a good look for him, banishes the tired look he seems to wear all the time. He stands, pays the cheque at the door, and walks Levi back to his car, “So, home?”

“Please: I have so many ideas buzzing around,” the shorter male replies, has a notebook in hand, a pen rapidly skidding across the ruled pages. 

Erwin smiles, and Levi is silent on the drive home, writes away with a soft smile on his face. The light from street lamps highlights his features, shows off his sharp cheekbones. Levi glances up, and their eyes meet for a moment, that smile becomes just that little bit bigger and Erwin feels his heart lurch. 

He pulls into Levi’s driveway, and his dog barks as soon as he opens the car door, holds Levi’s open for him and then closes it softly. The shorter male looks up to him, the notebook wedged back into his pocket. 

“Thank you for this, Erwin.” He says softly, steps close enough that they are almost touching, “I… I tried to push you back but… Well I had a really nice time.”

Erwin nods, “I did too: you’re charming when you’re not pretending to be polite.”

Levi blinks at him, and then shakes his head, “Fuck you, I should have an Oscar by now… suppose you made me forget to pretend.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No, just… different.” The shorter male smiles, lifts himself onto his toes and presses a kiss to Erwin’s lips. 

He blinks, and Levi smirks at him, doesn’t resist when Erwin pulls him back, kisses him again, light and chaste. A third, longer, there are hands in his hair, a fourth and he’s wrapped his arms around a slim waist. 

Levi very gently pulls away, their lips still brushing against one another, “Uh… god, I don’t want to pull away, but I also don’t want to have sex with you.”

Erwin kisses him again, “That’s very presumptuous of you, Levi.”

The shorter male hums, presses close to him and the next kiss is slower, long and firm, “Shut up.” He murmurs when they separate.

They stay there for a long moment, and Erwin takes the time to pick out the various shades of silver and blue in Levi’s eyes, smiles at the curl of fingers in his hair. “You’re going to ask me out again, aren’t you?”

Erwin smiles, “Would you like me to?” he asks gently, and Levi scoffs, steps away slowly, lets his touch linger before he pulls back and they no longer touch. 

“Of course I would, I don’t just kiss anyone.” The shorter male replies, shakes his head when Erwin laughs, then frowns. “Ask me out.”

“Come out with me on Saturday,” he offers with a grin, still at a loss with Levi and his strange ways, “I’ve a few things in mind.”

Levi replies with a smile, “Good.” He says, moves away to his front porch, hand lingering on the door handle, “I’ll see you Saturday.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long breaks in chapters - exams and university are both taking up a lot of writing time haha. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the third chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ummm.... I was gone for forever?? Sorry! Anyway I am nervous about this chapter because I tries something new. We go back to the old formula by the next chapter so bear with me for this one. Feedback is always welcome!

#### ~ Mikasa ~

Gravel crunches beneath the tires of the driveway, and Eren pulls up the handbrake, undoes his seatbelt and leans across to kiss her gently. 

Mikasa smiles, whispers a soft “Thank you” before she slips out of the car, adjusts the sit of her dress and walks with Eren up to the front door. 

Bjorn almost breaks it down, flies at Eren with a happy bark and sends him sprawling onto the porch. Mikasa laughs, fiddles with her purse as she steps inside, toes off her heels and closes the door behind her boyfriend and the dog. 

When Levi had found Bjorn, the dog had been taken from an abusive home, had been kicked, burned, and cut more times than he’d been petted. The Tibetan Mastiff had been quiet, shy, at first, but now, when he wasn’t following Levi around, he was full of personality. 

“Levi” Eren calls, pats Bjorn as he passes, “We’re home.” 

The house is silent, but Mikasa knows that’s exactly Levi’s way: he’s not an overly loud person, not when he’s alone, and they both know his habits well enough that it’s no surprise finding him in the lounge, sprawled on the floor with a dozen drafts surrounding him. 

“Good time?” he asks, and Mikasa sits down across from him, stretches her legs out to her side and leans on an open palm. 

“It was.” She replies, smiles when he does and watches Eren and Bjorn wander in, plant themselves on the nearby couch, the dog acting as a large, panting blanket for her boyfriend. “You’ve been here all night?”

“I went out with Erwin.” Levi answers, scribbles a note into the left margin of draft six, then a large paragraph of writing into an open notebook. “It was nice, we’re going out again on Saturday.”

Eren makes a cooing noise, though its strained with Bjorn’s weight on him, “Levi’s got a boyfriend.”

Her cousin responds by tossing a bound draft at the brunette, who squawks in surprise and outrage, “Shut it, Yeager: I’ll kick you out.”

“You love me too much for that.”

“Wanna bet?”

“No”

Mikasa laughs, shakes her head, “Smart move, Eren.” She only grins when he looks to her with widened eyes, mouth agape in surprise. 

“Traitor.” He claims, places the draft gently on the floor, slides it to Levi’s waiting hand, “After I took you out on a fancy date.”

“On my dollar.” Levi teases, and he frowns, sits up and taps pen against paper. 

Mikasa scoots close, reads over his shoulder, “New book?” she asks, nods when he does, “A romance?”

“Not my forte, I know, but the idea is sticking with me, so I figure I may as well write it out, give myself some more pay… if it goes well, I should have it written by October.”

“While you’re writing book nine of the serial?” Eren asks, shakes his head when Levi nods, a pen caught between his teeth, “That’s crazy… what’s the romance about?”

“Reincarnation.” Levi replies, takes his notebook in hand and scrawls in it absently, “One lover remembering a past life with the other… I haven’t decided which is the better protagonist…. The idea of watching the protag stress that they’ll never be together again is interesting, but it’s been done before…. The reader might get more out of following the oblivious one around, but again that runs the risk of a boring narrative.”

“Switch?” Mikasa offers, and Levi hums in thought, shakes his head. 

“Amateurish. It would stilt the story: what if they just skip the chapters involving the other character? No, I need to decide on one, if I’m ever going to write this in… eight months, maybe four, given half my time is put aside for Colt, and…. God and those fucking interviews.”

Mikasa lays an arm on his shoulder, offers a smile, “You’ll be fine,” she assures, lets Levi pull her close and sigh softly, “Think of Erwin.”

“I actually hate both of you.” Levi groans, and she laughs, Eren snorts and wiggles free of Bjorn to join them on the floor. 

“Come on, Mika: let’s leave him to write cheesy romance.” Eren suggests, and she stands, laughs when Levi cuffs her boyfriend over the head, stands to bid them both goodnight. 

They climb the stairs in silence, and before they move into their room, Eren pulls her back, hugs her tightly and kisses her temple. She looks to him with a raised brow, and he smiles, shrugs. 

“You’re worried about him.” Eren claims, presses his forehead to hers, “I’m just making sure you won’t lose sleep over it.”

“It’s all this backlash,” Mikasa admits, curls her arms around his waist and rests her head on his chest, “He’s taking it hard… and with Kenny back in the country…”

“He’s all over the place, I know: between my issues with Zeke, his issues with Kenny, and the press, Levi’s spreading himself thin. It’s okay, that’s what we’re here for.”   
Mikasa sighs, closes her eyes, “I just… I’m not around during the day, and I know what he’s like, left to his own devices. You’ll take care of him, won’t you?”

Eren laughs, “If he lets me, sure.” He sobers, kisses her, “I’ll do my best.”

“At least he has Erwin to distract him.” She muses as they step into their room, change for bed, “Maybe he’ll settle down, stop stressing so much.”

“Doubt it, remember his last ‘relationship’?” Eren frowns, lowers his hands from making air quotes, “I dunno, Mika… but, what I do know is that Erwin is a good person: honest. As long as he fights when Levi tries to push him away, then he’ll be fine.”

Mikasa shrugs, “Or he’ll be heartbroken: Levi can be… needlessly cruel.”

“To protect himself.” Eren notes, and they lie facing one another, he reaches for her, and she presses close to him, breathes in the scent of cinnamon and leather. “I’ll talk to him, okay?”

“Eren, you don’t have to…”

“No, I want to, Mika: he’s done so much for me, and we both know he’s better at lying to you than he is to me.” Eren kisses her forehead, rests his chin on top of her head as she curls closer, “Now, get some sleep: you’ve got officer things to do tomorrow.”

“Like what?”

“Arrest latent criminals.”

Mikasa smirks, hugs Eren tightly and curls their legs together, “Got one.” She murmurs, feels a puff of air atop her head which she thinks is a laugh.

“What’d I do?”

“Stole my heart.”

Eren is silent for a long moment, and then he laughs, “Wow, that’s cheesy, Mika… I love you.”

“I know.” She says softly, waits a beat and true to his nature, Eren knocks her arm with his own, “I love you too.”

#### ~ Eren ~

He wakes twice: first, when Mikasa kisses his temple, murmurs a soft ‘see you later’ that he returns with garbled words. The second time, it’s nine in the morning, and it’s less groggy, the room looks like his, and he feels less disoriented. 

Eren hums, rolls out of bed and dresses lightly, pulls on socks with bulldogs on them and throws a beanie over his slowly growing hair, which looks more like a bird’s nest after sleep. He stumbles down the stairs, pets Bjorn when the hound approaches, and walks into the kitchen, finds Levi there as always, coffee to his right, work laid out in front of him, a pen twirling around in his left hand. 

“Sleep well?” he asks, but knows different: they are one and the same, have personal demons that live to make them suffer. Eren has seen the pill containers in Levi’s bathroom, knows his medications well enough to guess at what the older man is suffering. But he won’t push, remembers when he’d told Levi about his depression, the PTSD, the abuse, and how the older man had only offered an ear, had said ‘any time’ and had proved it when Eren had called at 2 in the morning, a blade in hand and tears in his eyes. 

Mikasa may have been a light in his dark life, but Levi was a life raft, and Eren still needs both Ackerman’s to keep him going. 

“No.” Levi levels him with a stare, and Eren blinks: he’s never met a better liar then the man in front of him, has seen him fake his way through all sorts of interactions. It’s controversy: he’ll tell everyone that Levi is an honest man, but knows he lies as habitually as Eren does.   
Just not to those he’s closest to.

“Neither.” He supplies, sits down once he’s gotten himself a cup of coffee, “More nightmares, but like Mika says: at least I don’t scream in my sleep.”

Levi smirks, and it’s as good as a laugh from him, “At least you sleep.” He sighs, runs hands through his dark hair, “Maybe I should talk to my doctor, see if I can get something for the insomnia… even if it will take eight hours of wakefulness from me.”

“Just be careful it doesn’t mess with the anti-depressants.” Eren replies, unearths his own laptop from beneath Levi’s drafts, “That happened to me, when I was sixteen: they gave me sleeping pills, and the other drugs stopped working, or went haywire.”

There’s silence for a long moment as he boots up his laptop, checks his course schedule for the thousandth time, and then uses it like a shield. 

Levi has done many good things for him, is a man of strength and conviction, but Eren fears for him, knows that all that lustre may someday wear off, and he’ll break. The older man scares Eren, not the way that Zeke, or his father, did, but because Levi is like a father to him, and he doesn’t want to lose that. 

“Mikasa’s worried.” He says, hears Levi snort and they both know that this is nothing different: she worries for both of them. “I am too… you’re quieter than usual.”

Eren isn’t afraid to meet Levi’s gaze, not usually, but there’s something to it that makes him want to look away. “I… I got a call, last night… two friends from high school got into a car accident: drunk driver wrapped them around a pole.” Levi sighs, glances away, “They died this morning.”

“Fuck,” he says, stands and pulls Levi out of his seat, pulls him close and doesn’t let go, sighs when the older man reciprocates. “That… I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Neither… I blew them off for a date with Erwin.” Levi notes, his fingers splay across Eren’s back, voice soft, numb and Eren knows why: he’s trying hard not to break under pressure, has been for the last few months. 

“It’s horrible but… you were lucky.” Eren reasons, swallows the lump in his throat. “I was gonna ask about Kenny.”

“Yeah… I know.” Levi chuckles, “I’m avoiding that question, at least until I get my head straight.”

Eren nods, sweeps a hand down a clothed back and perches his chin atop Levi’s head: he smells like rain water, and there’s the smallest hint of Erwin there too: he knows only because Armin sometimes steals his father’s cologne. “Okay.”

“Don’t tell Mikasa: she’s worried enough without this as well…” Levi pulls away, tugs at the beanie on Eren’s head with a soft smile, “I’m dealing with it as it comes.”

“How was your date?” he segues, follows Levi into the lounge and flops down next to him, tilts his head back against the back of the couch. 

Levi hums, and there’s a hint of a smile there, “He’s very charming: I’m in trouble, Eren. I wanted to tell him my life’s story within an hour of meeting him.”

“Aw,” he grins, teasing, “Soulmates”

He laughs when an elbow jabs into his side, and Levi shakes his head, “I just don’t know what he sees in me.”

Eren chews at his lip, “I dunno, I think maybe it’s because you’re weird, in a good way.” 

Levi laughs, “Oh, that’s very reassuring, thank you Eren.”

“No, I mean it: when I met you I remember feeling really safe, and confident… maybe it’s the same thing? Erwin’s a nice guy, but Armin tells me he’s lonely, maybe you and he are kindred spirits?”

“You don’t think it’s just my looks?”

Eren barks a laugh, pats the seat when Bjorn trots over, waits for the dog to crawl over him to sit on Levi, who almost drowns in a sea of fur. “I don’t think Erwin’s that shallow… if you’re worried about your issues, don’t be: if I can find someone after the shitty start my life had, you can too.”

“Mine is especially shitty,” Levi says, “Murderous uncle, serious trauma from abuse, attachment issues, depression, anxiety, insomnia… Fuck, is there anything good about me?”

“You let me into your home when I was a drug pushing delinquent.” Eren counters, pushes Bjorn off the couch so he can catch Levi’s gaze, “You took Mikasa in despite the fact that you were living on minimum wage, you bought Bjorn after saving the money for months… Levi you do good things even though you’re shit.”

“Wow, alright, what the fuck?”

“Yeah… that didn’t come out the way I thought it would.”

They laugh, and it’s nice to know he can still make a situation better with his stupidity. His phone buzzes, and its Armin: another rant about Jean, he’d wager. 

“You can leave me alone, Eren, I’m not suicidal.” Levi reads him too easily, but Eren doubts the way he paused after reading the invite to go out was subtle, “Haven’t been since high school.”

“The last person I want to talk about is Horseface.” Eren grimaces, turns the phone over in hand and sighs, “But, I can’t leave Armin to pent it all up: he’ll explode.”

“Don’t pretend that you and Jean don’t get along,” Levi says, shakes his head, “Hear him out: Armin seems like the type who doesn’t complain for the sake of it.”  
Eren nods, “Can I bring him over? Now that he knows I live here?”

Levi scoffs, “Why you and Kirstein thought it was a good idea to secret me away from that boy is beyond me. I’m giving him early, signed releases as an apology.”

“You’ll make his year,” Eren says with a laugh, looks to Levi when he feels the tug at his hair. 

“You think I’m going to do something stupid if you leave?” he nods, and the older man returns it with one of his own, pulls free his phone and types out a message, “Alright…. There: I’m going out with Eld and the others for lunch, happy?”

Eren stands, shakes his head in disbelief, “Okay then: I know when I’m not wanted… I’ll see you tonight?”

“If I can weasel out of going to a club: yes.” Levi hums in thought, then looks to Eren, “Do you think Erwin can take off weekdays?”

“He’s his own boss, so yes.” Eren frowns, “You wanna see him that much?”

“Saturday: A whole week before I see him again.” Levi runs hands through his hair. “Don’t tease, but I do like him, Eren.”

“Hold out: make him chase you.” Eren advises, doesn’t miss the glare he gets in return.

“Don’t parrot my own words to my daughter about you: cretin.”

Eren laughs, nods, and leaves the house without hesitation, tells Armin he’ll be there to talk soon.

#### ~Armin~

“Quiet breathing leading to diaphoresis, 12 letters.”

Armin glances up to his father’s voice, over to where he’s seated on the floor, the coffee table of their longue on his right. Kransky dozes atop the glass surface, curls into Erwin’s hand when he reaches to pet the small dog. 

“Do you have any letters already?” he asks, scoots off the couch and leaves his phone there, crawls to look at the crossword puzzle. 

“Just the start and end: P and N,” his father taps the pencil in his hand against the table, brushes his wayward fringe from his face, “I’m honestly stumped.”

He hums in thought, takes a moment to think over the clue, tears a piece of paper free from the newspaper on the kitchen table and blocks out the 12 spaces, fills them with random 12 letter words. “Oh! Perspiration!”

Erwin raises a brow, and he’s always loved watching the dots connect in his father’s gaze, the way things click into place and how his eyes shine with it. Apparently, they both have the same look when they’ve figured something out. 

As he scrawls it out, Armin glances to the front door as Eren wrestles with it, the wind howling outside. He waves, hangs scarf and beanie on the coat rack and trudges in, smiles and waves at Kransky, who yaps once, calms under Erwin’s hand. 

“Erwin,” his best friend greets, and without a beat, his father replies with “Menace.” Eren laughs, and Armin joins in because his friend’s laugh is really something else, a mixture of a snort and a cackle that creates more laughs than whatever the source of humour originally was. 

“Brushing up on some vocab for your new boyfriend?” Eren asks, moves over to ruffle Armin’s hair, doesn’t sit down. 

Erwin nods, seems to think on that response, and frowns at Eren, “You’re a brat.”

The brunette laughs again, tugs at Armin’s shoulder, “I know: Levi makes a point to tell me daily.”

“It should be hourly, then.” Erwin frowns when Eren just laughs, but shrugs, returns to the crossword. 

Armin stands, stretches and when he hits Eren in the arm, he makes sure it hurts. “That’s for keeping Levi a secret for five years.” He declares, and his father chuckles softly as Eren yelps in surprise. 

“Is that why I’m here?” his friend asks, rubs the point of contact absently. His brow furrows when Armin shakes his head, “What’d that jerk-off do this time?”

“He hasn’t done anything.”

“I’ll break his dick, Armin, for real.” He laughs, and Eren only furrows his brow, purses his lips and Armin realises he’ll have to stop avoiding the question. 

Back in high school, Jean had been the kid who made his life hell: had teased him ceaselessly simply because he could. Armin hadn’t known what to do, what to change, but Eren had been right beside him, willing to throw every punch that Jean had deserved, and then maybe a few more. He knows why know: Jean had been struggling with something Armin had figured out very quickly: homosexuality. He’d had Erwin, Levi’s books, to help him to understand and accept what he felt. 

But, after long talks, he’d discovered Jean hadn’t had that luxury, and suddenly all the animosity between them melted away. Made way for a relationship that Armin had started, was scared he’d one day have to finish because he couldn’t keep his jealousy in check. 

Just like his father, apparently.

“Honestly Eren, I’m just… I don’t know I don’t think he understands the meaning of a date.” Armin sighs, runs his hands through his hair, “It’s like he’s attached to Marco.”

“To be fair, we’re almost always attached, too… look, Armin, just talk to him. It’s the best way to sort it out. If Levi’s taught me anything, keeping issues quiet is the end of all relationships.”

He feels rather than sees his father perk up at the mention of Levi’s name, smiles, because his father is as hopeless as he is. Nosier, and much better at getting what he wants. “I’m sure he’s never had a dysfunctional relationship in his life.”

“Three, or so he tells me. I saw the last one.” Eren answers, frowns at Erwin, “Oi, you keep out: ask him if you want to know.”

“Alright, yes, I’m keeping out.” His father holds up his hands in surrender, looks to Armin. “Eren’s giving good advice, Armin.”

He nods, can’t argue if both his father and best friend are giving him advice. He wants to be petty and jealous to see if Jean will do anything, but knows he’s over high school, needs to start acting like an adult. 

“Come with me, then. You’ll make sure I don’t say anything stupid.” He stands, types out a message to Jean and feels Eren get up next to him. 

“Don’t be out too late.” Erwin murmurs, and Armin nods, bends down to hug him before they head to the door.

**Author's Note:**

> If you can't tell: I love flowers, and am obsessed with floriography. The idea of Levi being a good cousin and adopting Mikasa is a quiet trope that I hold very dearly, and most of this story is about getting all of my favourite headcannons down into a story
> 
> Author!Levi actually shares a lot of my view about writing, so beware the potential preaching that may occur in the story if it gets written. It will all be positive, of course, so don't worry about the controversial potential a viewpoint like this might take. 
> 
> Also, my sister was the person who gave way to my "Armin is Erwin's son" head cannon, so blame her for that.


End file.
